February 26, 2021

New SBP Imprint to Showcase Japanese Fiction in Translation

The editors of the literary magazine MONKEY New Writing from Japan—Ted Goossen, Motoyuki Shibata, and Meg Taylor—and Stone Bridge Press publisher Peter Goodman announce a new imprint devoted to Japanese fiction in translation. The magazine is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and produced in Pittsburgh and Tokyo.

The MONKEY imprint will focus on novels, stories, and graphic narratives by innovative Japanese authors and rising international stars. The first title in the MONKEY imprint is expected in spring 2022.

The imprint comes at a time of growing popular interest in Japanese writers as well as new commercial and critical success. According to Meg Taylor, president of the MONKEY nonprofit corporation and managing editor of the literary magazine, “The MONKEY imprint at Stone Bridge will be well positioned to ride this ever-expanding wave of interest in Japanese fiction.”

MONKEY seeks to elevate the contribution of Japanese-English translators by paying them competitive rates and a share of the royalties and by acknowledging them on the cover as well as the title page.

“It is really exciting to be involved with MONKEY,” says Stone Bridge publisher Peter Goodman. “Publishing literary works is challenging on so many levels. Quality is job one, of course, but getting the word out, getting reviews, and reaching audiences are just as important.”

See also the Stone Bridge Press blog article.